Lorain Council to consider road repair, projects legislation

LORAIN -- Road repairs and projects in Lorain could take another step forward on Monday as City Council considers legislation.

Lorain City Council will consider borrowing $5.25 million through a bond issue that will pay for new street resurfacing.

Council also will consider 20 resolutions of necessity for the city to use eminent domain to appropriate land for widening Jaeger Road.

Some of the easements are permanent for Jaeger Road, while some are temporary for storage of materials and equipment during construction, said Assistant Law Director Don Zaleski.

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The road has a right-of-way that is 40-feet wide from edge to edge, said city Engineer Dale Vandersommen.

The widened road will have a right-of-way that is 60 feet wide, Vandersommen said.

The Engineering Department has a consultant that already made deals with most of about 82 property owners who will be affected, he said.

"These are properties where negotiations have pretty much broken down for right-of-way acquisition on Jaeger Road," Vandersommen said. "We need to acquire 10 more feet on either side of the road."

In recent years courts have ruled against cities trying to take private property for economic development, Ritenauer said.

However, the Jaeger Road project is an improvement of Lorain's public infrastructure allowable by law, he said.

The city also must pay for land acquired through eminent domain, Zaleski said. If the city takes the land owners to court, the cases could go to trial to have a jury determine a fair price, he said.

"The issue is the fair market value of the property being taken, that's what the jury would determine," Zaleski said.

Council also will consider legislation to seek bids on 10 road repair projects costing an estimated $6.92 million and final legislation for the Ohio Department of Transportation to resurface SR 611 through the city.

"A lot of the work that's been done and bantered about for the last couple years is now coming to light on the Council agenda," said Mayor Chase Ritenauer.

For years city officials and residents have talked about the need for road repairs. Last year voters said yes to Issue 13, the income tax increase that Ritenauer and other city leaders promoted to pay for street work.